I am looking for some fun ideas. Do you have unique techniques or ideas on how to use leftover Christmas items or things purchased for cheap during Holiday clearance to make them seem non-Christmas? Do you buy every candy cane on post Christmas clearance because you are the one that makes Valentine hearts out of them?

Any other creative uses for Holiday decorations? wrapping paper? ANY other thing?

I want to know what your ideas are! To make life more fun and help someone get more bang for their buck during this Holiday clearance season; I will be offering a $10 Target GC to the most creative/fun use of Christmas themed items and it will be featured in an upcoming blog.

*Please note that all ideas must be submitted by 10 PM MST Monday night (12/28).

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My favorite Christmas clearance find was tableware for a romantic Valentines dinner. I purchased linen napkins, placemats, napkin rings and dishes for 2 all for pennies on the dollar at Pier 1. The color scheme was shades of red and accents of gold, perfect for Valentines. I also always buy sugar cookie dough and red sprinkles on Christmas clearance to make Valentines cookies with my kids.

My favorite after Christmas finds are anything RED or WHITE. It seems that red and white are good decoration colors for Valentines Day and the 4th of July. Also, anything metalic (silver, gold, copper, etc.) works for any occasion when a little "bling" is needed! -- Furthermore, I have found fantastic sales on Thanksgiving items at the after-Christmas sales, usually 90% off. I love white finds since it goes with EVERYTHING!

Last year I purchased all types of winter theme items to throw my daughter a winter wonderland party mid summer. We had glittered snowflake christmas tree decorations, silver and white linens, snowflake craft kits, and silver ball decorations that I used in tall glass cylinders as centerpieces. Silver tinsel was strewn decoratively around the cylinders. I also bought oversized white shimmery ribbon (actually tree garland) to tie bows around the chairs with a silvery christmas pick at the center of the bow. You can go wild buying for this theme for next to nothing right now - not to mention the items aren't even available in July!

Last year after Christmas I picked up some great curled fabric ribbons (for packages) and fabric flowers (ornaments and packaging accesories) and turned them into some great hair clips and flowers for my girls for literally pennies (I waited until they were 90% off). I just added a hair clip to them and they worked great all year since they were red, white, and silver colors!

I also stocked up on the lip balm packages that are on the end aisles at Target in the bath section and used them for gifts throughout the year. They have tons of character themed bath sets, makeup sets, hair sets ect. by the pharmacy that are considered Christmas and work great as birthday gifts throughout the year!

Last year after Christmas I picked up some curled fabric ribbon in the giftwrapping section and fabric flower ornaments and made then into hair clips for my 3 girls! They only cost pennies because I waited until they were 90% off and just added hair clips to the back of them!

Green candy works great for St. Patrick's Day. I also always stock up on Holiday Cards and save cards from neighbors, my MIL gave me the idea to cut the cards up and use them as gift tags, I never have to buy them, and some of them look extra fancy. A few years ago my mom stocked up on rope lights and white lighting after Christmas- they looked great that summer for my wedding reception. I've been stocking up on bath gift sets on clearance to give as birthday gifts, etc. In answer to the reverse of your question, I love to use non-Christmas stuff for Christmas decor. I use leftover yellow rose garland from my wedding to trim my tree each year, and I use the clearance Halloween Gingerbread houses with white frosting instead of orange for Christmas.

I heard some stock up on green and red M & M's on clearance after Christmas, then they separate the two and use the red for Valentine's Day, usually as a gift for their children, and save the green for St. Patrick's Day!

Oh, I am so there with you! While I love Christmas and the adorable decorations available to celebrate it with, I hate the fact that the season is only about a month long. That's why it's important to me to buy multi-functional items that can outlast the gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

You mentioned wrapping paper and one of my favorite uses for it is using it as the backdrop for the insides of my cupboard/book shelves or glass-front cabinet doors. You can slide it behind bookshelves or tape it to the insides of your cabinet doors and it offers a beautiful splash of patterned color. (I did this in my office where we have a large curio cabinet that houses my office supplies. The wrapping paper camouflages the chaos and mess!)

Another thing I like to do is take the (artificial) garlands that otherwise wrap banisters or drape over the mantel and, in the "off season," put them into a collection of deep vases and let the ends drape over onto the counter. Clustered along a shelf, they give you instant greenery with a bit of a "Secret Garden" mystical kind of feel!

Finally, when I'm shopping for Christmas items (usually at the after-Christmas sales!), I try to keep an eye for items that are plain-colored: an olive green table cloth that can be dressed up for the holidays with a simple centerpiece rather than one patterned with candy canes. I also like to use lots of white: White vases, bowls, flowers, etc., spread across tablescapes and used to house more holiday-esque items (your candy canes, ornaments, pinecones, etc.).

1. Spa Sets: I usually take the spa sets out of their original packaging and get rid of most of the filler. Then I refill the basket and add a few extras. One year I got an apple-scented gift basket for $1.50. Then in September, I made a cute gift by repacking the contents minus most of the filler, added red & green apples and carmel dip, wrapped the whole thing up with cellophane and tied it with a huge red bow (90% clearance ribbon from Christmas).

2. Candles: I buy tons of the jar candles at about $1 each and make them over depending on the time of year: pastel ribbons and small eggs for Easter, bright ribbon and a gerber daisy glued around the rim for summer or rich brown ribbon and leaves for fall. I change out the ribbons so that the candles always match my seasonal decor or give them away. Love, love what my glue gun can do to those candles.

3. Card Crazy: I buy winter / snowman wrapping paper and cut it down to to 4" x 5 1/4" sheets and glue them on the front of a half sheet of cardstock (standard scrapbook size card). It makes cute, cheap note cards. I bundle up sets or 8 or ten and give them as gifts and/or to keep for a quick note to teachers, visiting teachers or thank yous. I use them through February and then again from Nov. - December. I also use plain metallic papers (blue, silver, etc.) for birthday note cards throughout the year. My kids' teachers also loved the wrapping paper to let the kids use for school projects.

4. Modge Podge. I'll buy the 90%, cheap (and sometimes ugly) serving platers, chargers or plates -- anything with a shape I like -- and modge podge them with tissue or scrapbook paper in a floral or stripe pattern that matches my house. I've taken a "Cookies for Santa" plate for $.50, covered it with awesome vintage floral cream & black paper and used it on my coffee table.

I love to keep an eye out for gift sets. there are usually items that may be wrapped in a christmasy way, but when taken out of their festive overwrap can be rebundled in a way that will work for any occasion.

I also split red and green M&Ms.

I look for things in solid colors or anything sparkly that can be used for other occasions. especially partyware.

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